Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska

Tornadoes in Howard County, Nebraska

51 tornadoes have crossed Howard County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 21st of the 93 counties in Nebraska with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 40. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
51
Deaths
1
Injuries
40
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, May 8, 1965

The deadliest in Howard County

  1. F2, Sherman, Custer and Howard counties, NebraskaJuly 8, 19551 killed, 13 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Howard, Greeley, Wheeler and Antelope counties, NebraskaMay 8, 1965F4, 78.9 mi (127 km)
  2. F3, Buffalo, Hall and Howard counties, NebraskaJune 6, 1993F3, 50.0 mi (80 km)
  3. F3, Hall, Howard and Merrick counties, NebraskaMarch 13, 1990F3, 27.0 mi (43 km)
  4. F3, Hall and Howard counties, NebraskaJune 11, 1984F3, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  5. F3, Howard County, NebraskaMay 8, 1965F3, 10.2 mi (16 km)
  6. EF3, Howard County, NebraskaApril 26, 2024EF3, 9.3 mi (15 km)
  7. F3, Howard County, NebraskaApril 25, 1984F3, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  8. EF3, Howard County, NebraskaMay 17, 2026EF3, 6.1 mi (10 km)
  9. F2, Howard, Nance, Boone and Platte counties, NebraskaMay 5, 1964F2, 71.5 mi (115 km)
  10. F2, Sherman, Custer and Howard counties, NebraskaJuly 8, 1955F2, 31.2 mi (50 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Howard County. Each year links to every tornado in Nebraska that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF3
20251Unrated
20245EF3
20131EF0
20111EF0
20081EF0
20045F0
20031F0
20021F0
19993F2
19941F1
19935F3
19922F0
19902F3
19881F1
1984418F3
19821F2
19752F1
197412F1
19721F1
19711F0
19681F1
19652F4
196417F2
19593F2
19581F1
19552113F2

Every tornado that crossed Howard County

51 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 17, 20265:04 PM CDTEF3Howard6.1350
May 18, 202512:51 AM CDTUnratedHoward0.030
May 23, 202412:08 AM CDTEF1Howard7.095$75,000
May 12, 20245:42 PM CDTUnratedHoward2.335
April 26, 20241:32 PM CDTEF2Howard9.2880$800,000
April 26, 202412:58 PM CDTEF3Howard9.3600$3.5 million
April 26, 202412:52 PM CDTEF0Howard2.350$200,000
May 29, 20136:05 PM CDTEF0Howard0.015
June 20, 20115:05 PM CDTEF0Howard0.150$80,000
June 4, 20084:53 PM CDTEF0Howard3.625$50,000
July 12, 20048:59 PM CDTF0Howard0.125$70,000
June 10, 200411:05 PM CDTF0Howard1.0100$40,000
May 16, 20047:43 PM CDTF0Howard2.575$250,000
May 16, 20047:20 PM CDTF0Howard3.050
May 16, 20046:57 PM CDTF0Howard1.025
May 4, 20032:15 AM CDTF0Howard1.035$70,000
May 26, 20026:58 PM CDTF0Howard0.525
May 2, 19998:06 PM CDTF2Merrick11.00$250,000
April 21, 199912:15 PM CDTF0Howard0.320$20,000
April 21, 199911:50 AM CDTF2Howard2.030$100,000
October 17, 19945:43 PM CDTF1Howard3.050
June 26, 19933:50 PM CDTF1Howard1.073
June 12, 19937:55 PM CDTF1Howard0.550
June 12, 19936:53 PM CDTF0Howard0.550
June 6, 19939:45 PM CDTF3Buffalo50.0880
May 7, 19936:35 PM CDTF1Sherman7.0200$500,000 to $5 million
May 16, 19922:10 AM CDTF0Howard0.210
May 15, 19929:25 PM CDTF0Howard0.210
June 12, 199010:45 PM CDTF0Howard1.040$500 to $5,000
March 13, 19905:44 PM CSTF3Hall27.0200$500,000 to $5 million
May 29, 19886:35 PM CDTF1Howard0.540$50 to $500
June 17, 19844:45 PM CDTF0Howard0.120
June 11, 19849:20 PM CDTF3Hall14.0200$500,000 to $5 million
May 21, 19849:06 PM CDTF1Howard0.320$500 to $5,000
April 25, 19848:19 PM CSTF3Howard8.04018$5 million to $50 million
May 10, 19825:05 PM CDTF2Howard0.320$5,000 to $50,000
June 21, 19755:00 PM CDTF0Howard8.850
June 19, 19753:30 PM CDTF1Buffalo44.2200$50,000 to $500,000
August 17, 197411:00 AM CDTF1Howard1.3102$50,000 to $500,000
July 20, 19723:10 PM CDTF1Howard14.010$50 to $500
June 6, 19715:00 PM CDTF0Howard0.110$500 to $5,000
June 22, 19689:34 PM GMT-5F1Howard0.110$500 to $5,000
May 8, 19655:25 PM GMT-5F4Howard78.910
May 8, 19655:00 PM GMT-5F3Howard10.210
May 5, 19645:00 PM GMT-5F2Howard71.5107$5,000 to $50,000
June 27, 19599:45 PM GMT-5F2Howard1.010$5,000 to $50,000
June 17, 195912:45 AM GMT-5F0Howard0.110
June 17, 19595:45 PM GMT-5F0Howard0.410$50 to $500
July 24, 19585:00 AM GMT-5F1Howard0.110$50 to $500
July 12, 19556:00 PM GMT-5F1Howard0.110$50 to $500
July 8, 19553:00 AM GMT-5F2Sherman31.210113$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Howard CountyThe forecast for Howard CountyThe live radar over Howard CountyEvery county in Nebraska

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.